Ducks Sign Lilja to One-Year Deal

The Ducks announced on Monday that they have signed defenseman Andreas Lilja to a one-year contract. Per club policy, no financial terms of the deal were disclosed.

Lilja, 35 (7/13/75), appeared in his ninth NHL season in 2009-10, collecting 1-1=2 points with four PIM in 20 games with Detroit. Lilja, who missed the majority of the season due to injury, also appeared in 11 Stanley Cup Playoff games for the Red Wings last spring, going scoreless with 14 PIM. He spent the 2010 preseason with San Jose on a tryout contract, scoring 1-1=2 points with a +3 rating and two PIM in four games.

Originally selected by Los Angeles in the second round (54th overall) of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, Lilja has played nine NHL seasons with Los Angeles (2000-02), Florida (2002-04) and Detroit (2005-10). In 478 career NHL games, Lilja has scored 15-59=74 points with a +39 rating and 501 PIM. He has also recorded 1-2=3 points with 52 PIM in 53 career Stanley Cup Playoff games, winning the Stanley Cup with Detroit in 2008.

A native of Helsingborg, Sweden. Lilja made his NHL debut on Dec. 3, 2000 at Anaheim and played his first 45 career games with Los Angeles before being acquired by Florida with Jaroslav Bednar in exchange for Dmitri Yushkevich and a fifth-round selection in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft on Nov. 26, 2002. Following the lockout, the 6-3, 228-pound blueliner signed as a free agent with Detroit on Aug. 25, 2005 and spent five seasons with the Red Wings (2005-10), earning 7-40=47 points with a +33 rating and 315 PIM.